Breaking Down the Relationship Between Mental Health and Substance Abuse 

Mental health disorders co-occur with substance use disorder, or SUD, in around half of all United States SUD patients. A patient with co-occurring disorders experiences symptoms of both chronic brain diseases. 

The most common mental health disorders patients with SUD face are anxiety, psychosis, affective disorder, depression, borderline personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorders. Though a link exists between these disorders and addiction, doctors do not yet fully understand the mechanisms behind comorbidity. Dual-diagnosis treatment programs address both issues simultaneously and emphasize how these two connected disorders intensify one another. 

Comorbidity: How Mental Health Disorders and Substance Use Disorder Feed Each Other  

Mood disorders like depression and anxiety do not necessarily cause alcoholism and other substance use disorders. Those disorders do not necessarily cause mental health issues, either. The two diseases may emerge in either order. For example, a person with depression may drink to self-medicate, or cannabis abuse may cause latent psychosis to emerge. An inciting trauma often causes both to emerge. Changes in brain structure cause these chronic diseases. Neither indicates any failure of moral fiber or self-control. 

Self-Medication 

In some cases, a person with a mental health condition uses the temporary high from drugs or alcohol to cope with symptoms. These temporary solutions may soothe their harmful impulses in the short term, but they will pursue additional doses when their symptoms return. This cycle causes the person to associate the drug with a healthier emotional state, which creates a psychological dependence. The frequent doses create physical dependence, which leads to worsening cravings and further reliance on the drug to achieve a normal, healthy state. 

Symptom Emergence 

Drug and alcohol overuse causes undiagnosed mental health disorders to emerge. Marijuana users may develop psychosis. Alcohol, as a depressant, disrupts neurotransmitter balance, which contributes to depression and anxiety. 

Genetics 

A person with a family history of mental health disorders or addiction has a higher risk of developing those diseases than someone who doesn’t. Studies into the genetic factors for both addiction and mental illness remain ongoing. 

Treatments for Co-Occurring Disorders 

A person seeking help for co-occurring disorders should find a specialized therapy able to treat both sides of their existing condition. Few doctors have the resources and training to diagnose and treat co-occurring disorders. Failure to address both mental health factors reduces single-diagnosis treatment program effectiveness. For example, a patient who drinks to self-medicate during depressive episodes may struggle to benefit from alcoholism treatment because their doctors don’t address the primary cause of their drinking. 

Dual diagnosis programs address both issues simultaneously, increasing treatment efficacy. This method requires high-skill, dual-disciplined doctors, such as the staff at SoberMind Recovery. Because patients in dual-diagnosis treatments participate in a single program, many spend less money than they would if they underwent two full-cost treatments. Therapy, medications, and group therapy are all common combined treatment approaches. 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a treatment modality that addresses self-destructive thought patterns. It works well on both mental health disorders and SUD individually. Therapists trained in both conditions often use the same programs to tackle their patients’ struggles from multiple angles. 

In cognitive behavioral therapy, patients and therapists work together to identify beliefs and attitudes not founded in reality and practice concrete methods to overcome them. Mood disorders often cause distorted self-perception that patients drink or use drugs to try to overcome. Therapists help patients find alternatives to self-medication by building better coping mechanisms and prescribing safe psychiatric medications to treat mood disorders instead.  

Medications 

SSRIs are a relatively safe, effective, and non-reactive medication used to treat anxiety, panic disorder, and depression. These “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors” increase serotonin levels in the brain and rarely interact with alcohol, which makes them an excellent choice for medication-assisted dual-diagnosis treatment. SSRIs, as well as other psychiatric drugs, work better when combined with therapy, especially group therapy for addiction. 

Dedicated Group Therapies 

Group therapy and support groups are a traditional treatment modality for addiction and sobriety that remain effective today when combined with other approaches. Group therapy programs can choose an illness-disorder combination to treat dual-diagnosis as therapists do. Specialization allows the program to better serve communities of patients in traditional treatment groups that serve a more general population that can’t be treated effectively. 

Experimental Treatments

Less proven treatments for substance use disorder and comorbid mental health symptoms include electroconvulsive therapy and “rTMS.” In electroconvulsive therapy, doctors send small electrical shocks through the nerves of an unconscious patient. These signals induce brief, controlled seizures, which treat severe mental symptoms. 

rTMS stands for Rapid Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. In it, a technician runs a series of magnetic pulses through an anesthetized patient’s brain. Though controversial, rTMS shows some efficacy against depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. 

SoberMind Recovery Provides Dual Diagnosis Treatment 

Los Angeles residents with substance use disorder and mental health struggles can find specialized treatments for any number of health concerns at our facility. Patients seeking rehab will find the support they need, as well as a withdrawal management center for patients with urgent health needs during detox. 

We have specialized doctors able to tailor dual-diagnosis treatment programs for any combination of disorders and long-term therapy specialized for various communities, including LGBTQ sober living. 

Call our toll-free number for more information about our programs and the options available for addiction treatment in Los Angeles.